Hot Topics:

Gaming Commission shouldn't be a player

Sentinel & Enterprise

Updated:
11/06/2012 06:33:29 AM EST

Massachusetts Gaming Commission Chairman Stephen Crosby should be working to speed about the licensing process and vetting potential developers' plans. What he shouldn't be doing is making sales pitches to competitors and offering untoward advice.

Recently, Crosby made a "passing comment" to two Springfield developers working on a proposal with Hard Rock International that seemingly attempted to steer them to consider the Boston market. Springfield has four potential proposals for a downtown casino, while Boston has only one.

The Springfield competition has sparked an intense investment battle among the developers, producing improvements to plans almost on a daily basis. Some casino-industry watchers say the process, so far, has been good for the excitement it is stimulating in the Springfield region. Boston, on the other hand, has produced only one potential developer for the Suffolk Downs racetrack site.

Crosby is of the mind that Boston's noncompetitive situation could lead to a diminished investment. While that may true, Crosby has to tread carefully in his approach to dealing with this issue. He and the Gaming Commission have a duty to be ironclad neutral and to uphold the integrity of the process. No one can show even a hint of favoritism to any potential group bidding on the three Massachusetts licenses available.

We solidly support Crosby in his executive role. He is a fair and decent person.

Advertisement

And we believe he didn't mean any harm in trying to gently push competition for the Boston license. But that is not his job. Crosby and other commissioners, as well as the process itself, are under intense political and watchdog scrutiny. They don't need any self-made controversies to taint their efforts. We ask that they cease and desist from tinkering with the free marketplace of casino proposals.

Certainly, we'd like to see competition in all casino markets, but the developers should dictate where they want to site their proposals.

In a related matter, Crosby and commissioners should be focusing on speeding up the licensing process. He said in September that it might take another year before the first of the licenses is awarded. That is ridiculous. This is not rocket science. By Crosby's timetable, the first casino likely won't be built for another five years -- or 2017. There'll be another presidential election in between and Massachusetts still won't have a casino.

Focus on the task at hand, Mr. Crosby, instead of acting as a salesman.

Welcome to your discussion forum: Sign in with a Disqus account or your social networking account for your comment to be posted immediately, provided it meets the guidelines. (READ HOW.)
Comments made here are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; these comments do not reflect the opinion of The Sentinel and Enterprise. So keep it civil.